The One Tool You Need If You're Scared Of Grilling

The One Tool You Need If You're Scared Of Grilling
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For Bon Appétit, by Christina Chaey.

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Credit: Alex Lau

Here's the thing about grilling: It's not as simple as slapping a steak over the flames and standing there with a beer in your hand. Between sudden flare-ups, uneven heat levels, and that third beer, it's way too easy to accidentally turn out dried-up burgers or a stringy steak. But even novice grillers can cook up smoky, juicy meats and perfect veg with the help of our most-loved kitchen tool: the cast-iron pan (or griddle!). Here are four ways to make the most of your pan outdoors--and save yourself from shriveled-meat sadness.

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Credit: Peden + Munk

Make a Really Awesome Steak

One of our favorite methods for cooking steak indoors is to sear it in a cast-iron pan on the stovetop to get a beautiful crust, then finish it in the oven--preferably with a few pats of butter melted on top. The only problem: Producing that beautiful crust can also produce a lot of smoke. But it turns out you can slap that cast-iron pan on your grill and get a comparable steak without setting off your fire alarm. The pan's evenly heated surface will produce the same deep crust you'd get on the stovetop. Skip the oven and cook the steak in a pan directly on the grill (over direct heat for a hard sear, indirect heat to finish), finishing it off with a knob of butter for perfect pan sauce. Just make sure you remove the steak to a platter immediately after you're done cooking, otherwise the meat will keep cooking and undo all of your not-so-hard work. And as a general rule, avoid leaving a dry pan on the grill for a prolonged period of time, or you'll risk burning off the seasoning.

Try this: Salt-and-Pepper Rib Eye


Cook All the Tiny Veg (a.k.a. Slippery Little Suckers)

You've lost countless green beans, asparagus stalks, and cherry tomatoes to the cause. But with a cast-iron pan and a drizzle of oil, even your tiniest, most delicate veg will no longer meet their untimely deaths deep within Mordor (a.k.a. that place beyond the grates of your grill). Plus, this is your one chance to justify purchasing those tiny cast iron pans that are only big enough to fit five cherry tomatoes and basically nothing else (they are also excellent for melting a sh*tload of cheese for dipping).

Related: Fire up these 20 grilled vegetable recipes in your favorite pan.

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The Smash Burger. Credit: Alex Lau

Grill Perfect Burgers (No, Really)
We know, we know: Cooking burgers anywhere but directly on the grill seems borderline, well, un-American. But an improperly cooked patty can end up shriveled up and nasty-crumbly. Not so with cast-iron patties. Cooking burgers in a skillet or on a griddle set over the grill gives even novices a key advantage: Instead of dripping down into the flames and causing pesky flareups, all those delicious fatty juices from the patties stays in the pan, creating a supremely juicy patty with a crisp (but not burnt) outside. Bonus: Once you're done cooking the patties, you can use the pan to crisp some bacon to top 'em. Win-win.

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Take your fish to the pan with these 18 recipes. Photo: Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott

Never Fear "Sticking" Foods Again

Unless you have an absolutely pristine and well-oiled grill, cast-iron is the safer choice for grilling delicate foods that are highly prone to sticking. Use a pan or griddle to cook whole fish, shrimp, scallops, and flatbreads. The advantage to using a well-seasoned pan (and you are, aren't you?) is you don't have to douse your food in oil before placing it on the grates to keep it from sticking--all you need is a slick of oil in the pan.

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